1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to boots and bindings for snowsports, such as snowboarding.
2. Related Art
With the increase in popularity of snowsports, such as snow-skiing and snow-boarding, the demand for better, more comfortable and higher performance snowsports equipment has also increased. This demand is especially felt among the snowboard enthusiasts, as snowboarding has only recently been introduced at most popular ski areas and has recently seen a surge in popularity without much development in equipment design. The boards have seen a few small changes, but the bindings and the boots are generally the same as they were upon introduction of the sport, and resemble the very earliest efforts of pioneer nordic skiers hundreds of years ago. The boots are similar to the after ski boots currently on the market, but stiffer and are tightened about a wearer's foot and lower leg by laces. The bindings are typically very heavy, bulky, plastic shells of frames fixed to the snowboard, with straps and buckles borrowed from some older designs of ski boots.
This type of existing equipment can be extremely inconvenient and hazardous. For example, to ride up in a chairlift, or even move in a lift line, one foot has to be released from the board to propel the user, like a scooter or skateboard. The snowboarder must undo two straps, and then sit down in the snow at the top of the lift on every run to struggle to do them up again.
Most modern ski boots have a high cuff around the ankle and lower part of the leg hinged to a lower foot casing, making them look as though they allow front to back movement of the lower leg. However, the hinges are solid structures, typically located below and behind the wearer's human ankle pivot point, such that the boot and the wearer's leg turn about different centers. As a result, the actual allowed ankle movement is severely limited, and sometimes reduced to zero.